Finally lost 10 lbs. South Beach diet. For anyone reading this and caring - there are people who do really well on a low fat diet. I am not one of them. However, the low carb approach works really well. If you're someone who gets cravings for sweets and for starchy foods, and if you've tried a low fat diet and somehow ended up with a bucket of cookies inside of you, you're probably someone who'll do well on a low carb diet. And the craving disappears early on and doesn't come back. And check with your doctor.

I agree, Elaine. Not about "Ooops" but about how low carb rather than low fat works for me.

The body uses insulin to store excess blood sugar as fat. When you switch to a low fat diet, carb calories replace fat calories, which drives blood sugar levels up. Fat needs to be broken down first into sugar and then stored, so it's not an efficient way to gain weight. Also fat induces satiety, while carbs do just the opposite.

For all diets, protein stays about the same. If you get too much, it can overload the kidneys. So most diets don't mess with it too much except to substitute higher fat protein with lower fat protein.